Engine-starter.



vuseful Improvements in Engine-Starters,

UNITED STATES Irnrinrr OFFICE.

JULIUS H. RICHARDS, 0F NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO SPLITDORF ELECTRICAL I COMPANY, 0F NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

ENGINE-STARTER.

Specication of Letters'Patent.

Patented Dec. 4, 1917.

' Application led January 15, 1917. Serial No. 142,435.

To all whom it may concern.' Y

Be it known that I, JULrUs H. RICHARDS, a citizen of the United States,` residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new amil? o which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to a starting mechanism for internal combustion engines y and the like, such as are commonly used as the motive means for automobiles and other autovehicles. In general it involves 'a mechtation necessary to the starting ,of such prime movers.

The invention has as one of its objects the provision cfa mechanism for such purposes wherein an. electric motor is so adapted that when operated, said motor ,automatically engages and drives the engine iiywheel through the medium of suitable connecting means associated with and operated by the armature of said motor. To the attainment of this automatic engaging -feature said invention involves Ymeans,whereby-theearmature/oithe mtfby reason of its own rotation, is placed in a positive driving relationshi with the engine at such times as is desirab e, and also in a simple, sure, and ei'iective manner. l

Another object is to provide a starting system of this class such that after having accomplished its purpose of starting the engine, the driving connection between said engine and the motor is automatically released, whereby'saidY motor becomes inoperative and maybe denergized until itis"Y again desired to be put into operation for the purpose of cranking the engine.

With these and other objects in mind my invention is characterized by an arrangement and operation of elements in which there is attained a device of this character;

.havinggthe very desirable features of simplicity, snretycialion, and relatively low costA of manufacture.

While the present invention involves sev- YVeral of the features and principles ofcoustruction shown and described in my prior applicationa' SerialNo. 877,146, tiled Deber 14, 1914, and Serial No. 41,203, filed July 21, 1915,*it is intended as an improvement of the constructions shown therein inasmuch as I have designed and substituted automatic means to take the place of the manually operated engaging means disclosed in said applications, and have in general altered and simplified the present construction as will become more apparent after having considered the following description.

In the drawing accompanylng said description wherein like reference characters are used to identify like parts throughout the several views; Figure l is a longitudinal elevation of my improved starting system showing in' a conventional manner an electric motor, with the driving devices associated therewith.

Fig. 2 showson an enlarged scale one method of constructing the counterbalancing means for retaining the driving pinion against rotation while the same is beingadvanced into engagement with the en ine member. There is also shown in dotted lines an alternative method ofvconstructing this element.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic representation illustrating the starting motor, switch, and storage battery electrically connected in 'w circuit.-

Referring morepartieularly to the drawing, 1 is the frame of an electric motor which may be of such construction as best adapts it to be suitably mounted in its Vworking relation adjacent the engine iiywheel with which it is to coperate.A Secured to the frame l is a supporting member 2 which carries onecf the motor bearings 3, the other of said bearings 4 being provided as seen at the other end of the motor. In Fig. 1 an armature 5, shown 'indottedzlinea is suitably arranged within the frani'l and -is mounted upon a shaft 6....:Said shaft is provided with a hollow opening-"extending throughout its entire length` and is supported for rotation in the motor bearings 3 and 4. This hollow shaft 6 is ada ted to projectto a considerable 'distance eyond one end of the motor and is rovided with any suitable number of helical s 1ines.7.7 At the extreme end of said sha t a portion thereof is reduced in diameter and has` a resilient member 8 "mounted thereupon and [held in place as by vnieansot a collar 22 fixed upon said shaft by a pin 9. Said resilient member consists of a compression spring the free end of which bears against the shoulder formed by the termination of the splines 7 and the other end against said collar 22, and which used in the limited space available and still into the pinion 11.

said disk.

be capable of offering the sufficient resistance when fully compressed. Thefunction of this spring 8 will later be described. Disposed within the hollow armature shaft 6 1s a plain shaft or rod 10 which is adapted to move longitudinally back and forth therein. On the splined end of the said shaft 6 there is mounted a pinion 11 having internal spiral channels cut thereon such that relative rotation of said pinion and the shaft 6 will cause the former to move aXi-' ally thereupon. Between two adjacent splines 7 is a slot 12 cut through the hollow shaft 6 and extending spirally around the same at a similar pitch to said splines. A pin 13 passes through the rod 10 and extends at either end through the slots 12 and The hole for said pin in the gear 11 is preferably located between two adjacent teeth and consequently the length of this pin must be made such as not to project beyond the roots of said teeth to interferel with their engagement with the engine flywheel. At the other end of the motor the rod 10 is adapted to project at a suitable distance therebeyond and has mounted upon its end a circular disk 111. Saitl member 14 may be of any suitable material and has a hole 15 near its peripherylby means of which the same may be fltteld upon the end of the shaft 10. lhen thus in position a set screw 16 is screwed intoll the tapped hole 17 to hold said disk from relative rotation with the shaft 10.

Being disposed in an eccentric manner upon the rod 10 the disk 14 has its center of gravity disposed considerably below the axis of said rod and thereby its inertia. constitutes an impeding 'agency against the tendency ofsaid shaft to'rotate. In the showing of Fig. 2 the dotted lines illustrate that, if desirable, the segmental portions 18 and 19 may be cut a'way with the result that the center of gravity of said disk 14 is still further lowered below the center of the hole 15,-and thereby increases the inertia effect of It will of course be understood that suoli factors as diameter, thickness, and materal of this counterbalancing member are all subject to change and may be varied at wi l to secure any desired retarding eifect upon the rod 10, for which this member is designed. And while l. have shown in the present embodiment that the same is sereliant@ .of slot 12.

cured upon its shaft 10 by means of a set screw it is apparent that other means may be used, as for instance, a slot and key or by a shrink fit.

Considering now the operation of my starter it will be assumed that the same is mounted in its proper working relationship with some member operated by the engine, as for instance, the fiywheel 20. ln the dra-wing7 wherein only a portion of said tlywheel is shown, the starting motor is at rest with the starting pinion in its normal inoperative position. Upon the switch S being operated to close the electrical circuit through the battery B and motor M the armature thereof and hollow shaft 6 upon which. the same is mounted will begin to rotate in the proper direction. Said hollow shaft 5 having mounted thereupon pinion 11 has a tendency to likewise rotate the same therewith. But said pinion being securely pinned to the rod 1G, and said rod being retarded by means of theeccentric weight 11i isheld against rotation. Thus by reason of relative rotation between the gear 11 and hollow shaft (S the splined engagement therebetween causes said pinion and the rod 10 to hc advanced longitudinally7 toward engagement with teeth 21 on flywheel member Just before pinion 11 has reached its full mesh with the {iywheel 20 it engages the spring member 8 and thereby compresses the same until the turning effort of said pinion is suilicient to overcome the resistance of said flywheel and properly crank the engine to which it is attached. ln this way the resilient member 8 serves to receive and absorb the shock of engagement, and as a precaution against damage the elements are so arranged that said pinion 11 reaches its full engagement with said fiywheel and the spring 8 is at its maximum compression. before the pin 153 has advanced far enough 'to engage the end ln this manner no strain is thrown upon said pin, its only function being to secure the pinion 11 to the rod 10. Upon sufficient Charges being drawn into the engine cylinders to start the same under its own power the speed of the flywheel 2() immediately picks up and exceeds in value the speed at which it was driven while being cranked by the starting motor. As soon as these conditions occur the pinion 11 is rotated relative to hollow shaft 6 and the thrust of the spiines 7 is reversed with the. result that pinion 11 is moved out of engagement with the engine member and back to its inoperative position. 1When the above described cycle has been thus com pleted and the engine has been started switch S, which is preferably situated so as to be conveniently operated by foot or hand, may be released to thereby disconnect the motor from the source of energy B. Should changes ma it so happen that, while passing into en' gagement, a tooth of the pinion 11 should encounter a toothof the 'flywheel 20 the eccentric disk 14 would rotate through a' suicient angle to remove said obstruction and. permit .the proper meshing of said pinion with the engine ilywheel.

While the eccentric weight 14 serves tov hold the pinion 11 from rotating. when the' sameis passing into engaginentfwi'th member 20 it also lperforms a useful. function at the time" of disengagement.- Thatis, when said pinion passes out. of mesh with the flywheel the inertia of the element 14, due to its rotation at this time, keeps the@l pinion 11 rotating -With the shaft 6 until the latter has ceased to turn. This decreases th'etendency of inion 11 to creep back into mesh with flyw eel 20 should the operator fail to open the switches as soon u as the engine has started by its own power. l Since it -will be apparent that .various be made in the construction above ldescribed and since a large number of embodiments may be devised all of which come well within the scope of my invention, I wish to have it understood that this speciication is merely illustrative thereof and is not to be treated in a limited sense. It\ is believed that any such changes and alterations are fully covered by the following claims.

' Having thus described my invention what I claim is 1. In a starting apparatus for engines, in combination, an engine driven member, a niotor having a hollow shaft, a gear mounted upon said hollow lshaft and actuated thereby to automatically engage and drive said engine member, a second shaft within said hollow shaft and means for fastening said gear securely to said second shaft, and an inertia elementen the end of'said second shaft to prevent the same from rotating, thereby assuring an engagement of said gear with the engine member when said hollow shaft is operated. e

Q. In a starting apparatus for engines, in

combination, an engine driven member', a. motor having a hollow shaft, a gear screwl threaded thereupon and adapted to be actuated thereby for the purpose of automati-l cally enga-ging and driving said engine member, a second aluift withi said hollow shaft vone end of which is rigi lyfastened to said gear, an eccentricI weight upon the other end second shaft ls erving to hold the.

oflsaid saine and said gear from rotating, whereby when said hollow shaft is operated said gear is moved into engagement with the engine member.

3. In a starting apparatus for engines, in combination, an engine driven member, a rotatable armature, a hollow shaft for supporting said armature and bearings therefor, said hollow shaft having an extension 'at one end, spiral splines on said extension, a gear wheel mounted upon said splines for longitudinal movement relative to said hollow shaft, an inner shaft wthinthe hollow shaft, a slot in said shaft extension substantially parallelV to said splines andy means passing through said slot for fastening said gear wheel to said inner shaft, and means for holding said inner shaftv from rotating whereby when said armature is operated said hollow shaft rotates relative -to said inner shaft to carry the gear wheel into engagement with said engine driven member.

4. In a starting apparatus for engines, in

combination, an engine driven member, a

rotatable armature, a hollow shaft for si1pporting said armature and bearings therefor, said shaft having an, extension at one end, spiral splines on said shaft extension,

a slot in said hollow shaft between two of said splines, a gear wheel mounted on said 'shaft extension, a shaft within said hollow shaft, a pin passing through said gear and inner shaft and adapted to move' in said slot, means acting/upon said inner shaft to hold the same from rotating whereby when said armature is operated said inner shaft is caused to move longitudinally to carry said gear into engagement with the engine driven member, and means on the end of said hollow shaft for absorbing the shock of said gear as it passes into said engagement.

5. In a starting'apparatus for engines, in combination, a rotatablemeinber driven by the engine, a second rotatable member, a

driving gear carried by said second rotatable member, athird -iotatable member mounted within said secendrotatable inember, means common to both the ydriving gear and second rotatable member 'for moving said gear,A longitudinally into driving engagement with said engine driven member,

means for securely fastening said gear vto one end of said third rotatable member, and an eccentrically disposed member upon the .other end of said third rotatable member serving tohold the same and said gear from rotating wllesaid gear is passing into said engagement. Y n

V6."In\ a starting apparatus for engines, in combination, an engine driven member, an

ran abouty the projecting end of said.

sol

electric motor having an armature mounted for rotation upon'a hollow shaft one end ofk sha t, through slots in said hollow shaft between adj ace tsplines'and arranged parallel therewith, a `-giving pinion loosely threaded upon said splines, a second shaft within said hollow shaft, a pin passing through said pinion and slots and second shaft to asten said pinion securely to said second shaft, and an eccentric weight on the end of said second shaft to hold the same from rotating when said hollow shaft is operated,

thereby permitting the engagement of said .splines Withsaid pinion to move the latter 1nto mesh with said engine driven member.

7. In a starting apparatus 'for engines, in combination, a rotatable member driven by the engine, an electric motor having an armature mounted upon a hollow shaft, said shaft extending beyond one end of the motor and having spiral splines thereupon, an inner shaft within said hollow shaft adapted to move axially relative thereto, a pinion "mountedupon said splines and adapted to move axially thereupon into and out of engagement with said engine member, means for rigidly fastening said pinion to the end of said inner shaft, and a counterbalancing member secured to the other end of said innershaft, the inertia of said counterbalancing member serving to hold said pinion arid,

inner shaft from turning while said pinion is passing into engagement with the engine member, the inertia of rotation of said counterbalancing member after said pinion has become disengaged from the engine 'member serving to prevent said pinion from accidentally creeping back into engagement with the engine driven member.

8. In a starting apparatus for engines, in combination, a member driven by the engine, an electric motor havin its armature mounted upon a hollow shaft one end of which shaft'projects beyond its bearing, a second shaft within said hollow shaft having an extension at either end of said motor and curely fastening said gear to one end of said second shaft and a slot in said hollowshaft to accommodate said pin, and an eccentricl counterpoise fastened to the other end of said second shaft serving to restrain the same from rotation, whereby when said hollow shaft is rotated said gear by reason of its screw threaded engagement therewith is moved into driving engagement withthe engine driven member, said slot serving to permit relative movement between said gear and hollow shaft while said gear is being moved into such engagement, said screw threaded engagement between the gear and said hollow shaft further serving to automatically disconnect said gear from the engine driven member when the engine runs on its own power. i

9. In a starting apparatus for engines, in combination, an engine driven member, a motor having an outer and an inner shaft, a gear adapted to engage and drive said engine member, said gear being mounted upon the outer of said shafts but fastened to said inner shaft, and means on said inner shaft serving to assure an automatic engagement of said gear with the engine member when said outer shaft is operated.

10'. In a starting apparatus for engines, in combination, an engine driven member, a motor having a hollow armature shaft, a second shaft within said hollow shaft, a pinion mounted upon said hollow shaft and adapted to automatically engage and disengage said engine member, said pinion being securely fastened to said inner shaft but driven by said hollow shaft, and means acting upon said inner shaft to assure an engagement of said pinion with the engine member when said hollow shaft is operated.

11. In a starting apparatus for engines, in combination, a member driven by the engine, a motor having a hollow armature shaft one end of which projects beyond its bearing, spiralsplines upon said shaft projection each of which terminates in a shoulder, a resilient member disposed between said shoulders and a collar upon the end of said hollow shaft, a gear mounted u on said splines and adapted to be actuate thereby to automatically engage and drive said engine member when said hollow shaft is rotated, a second shaft within said hollow shaft, means fastening said gear to said second shaft, and an inertia member on said second shaft serving to hold the gear from rotation While being moved into engagement with said engine member, said resilient member serving to absorb the shock of said engagement.

12. In a starting apparatus for engines, in combination, an engine driven member, a motor having two shafts one within the other, a gear actuated by the outer shaft to automatically engage and drive the engine member, a pin securing said gear to the inner of said shafts, and means on said inner shaft to assure an engagement of the gear with the engine member.

13. Ina starting apparatus for engines, in combination, an engine'having a driving gear, an electric motor having an armature, saidmotor having two shafts one of which operatively carries a gear wheel that is adapted to automatically move into engagenient with said engine, and means for assuring suoli movement comprising an eccentric member fastened to the shaft operatively carrying the gear wheel, the other of said shafts having the motor armature mounted thereupon.

14. In a starting apparatus for engines, in combination, a rotatable member driven by the engine, an electric motor having its armature in a substantially fixed axial position, a hollow shaft for said motor armature, a second shaft slidable within said shaft, and means for causing said second shaft to move axially to automatically car said gear into driving engagement wit Said engine driven member.

15. In a starting apparatus for engines, in combination, an engine driven member, an electric motor having a hollow armature shaft and bearings therefor, a second shaft Within said armature shaft, a gear Wheel on said armature shaft but operatively connected to thc secondshaft and means including an eccentric member on t-he second shaft p for moving said second shaft longitudinally,

l?. In a starting apparatus for engines,v

in combination, an engine member, an electric motor having a hollow shaft' carrying a gear wheel adapted to drive said engine member, a second shaft slidably'supported therewithin and operatively connected to said gear wheel, and means including a counterweight coactingL with said second shaft, whereby the same is moved to establish a driving relation between said ear wheel engine member when said ho low shaft is rotated.

18. In a starting apparatus for engines, in combination, an engine member, a motor having two shafts one within the other, driving means for the engine member drivingly carried by the outer shaft but operatively connected to theJ inner shaft, said inner shaft being weighted so that its cenf ter of gravity is out of line with respect to the aXis of the outer shaft whereby rotation of the outer shaft causes the inner shaft to move longitudinally to car'ry the driving means on the outer shaft into engagement with t-he engine member.

19. In a starting apparatus for engines,

in combination, an engine member, a motor having two shafts one within the other.

driving means fastened to the inner shaft i and adapted to be operatively connected to the engine member said inner shaft having its center of gravity outside its axis of rotation and coperating with means on the outer sha-ft to move `the driving means into engagement with the engine member when the outer shaft is rotated.

20. In a starting apparatus for engines,

in combination, an engine member, a motor having two shafts one within the other, driving means' fastened to the inner shaft and adapted to be operatively connected to the engine member, said inner shaft having an inertia device attached thereto and adapted to cooperate with means on the outer Shaft to move the driving means into engagement with the engine member when the outer sha-ft is rotated.

In witness whereof I aliix my signature.

JULIUS H. RICHARDS.

@andere ef this patent may becbtained for ve cent: euh, by addressing the commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. 0. 

